JLPT Examinees Prepare Last Minute Unanswered Question Strategies

Jul 1, 2017

Thousands of students studying Japanese both in Japan and abroad will be sitting the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) on Sunday with many cramming this weekend to decide their strategies for unknown questions, and questions they will be forced to answer hastily for around five seconds after time is called to end the exam.

“The final determination of unanswered question tactics will make or break a large portion of our examinees,” says Hiroyasu Ando, President of The Japan Foundation.

“It is often the most difficult part of the JLPT exam whether to fill in all the same numbers when your time runs out, or whether to go random.”

24-year-old Walter Hutchins has failed the JLPT N1 exam twice and blames his lack of preparation for unknown questions.

“Last year, I went full random mode, but this time I think I’m going to go for all 2s,” says Hutchins.